Final Fantasy 6: In Their Own Words
by Atma Weapon
Summary: The story of Final Fantasy 6, told by the people who were there. (Prologue now up. Please have patience with me; I'm still getting the hang of this. Ch. 3 coming soon.)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: All characters, as well as the original story, are owned by Squaresoft.  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
*****  
  
Long ago, the war of the Magi reduced the world to a smoldering wasteland, and Magic simply ceased to exist.  
  
1,000 years have passed...Iron, gunpowder, and steam engines have been rediscovered, and high technology reigns.  
  
But there are some who would enslave the world by reviving the dread, destructive force known as "Magic".  
  
Could it be that those in power are on the verge of repeating a senseless and deadly mistake?  
  
*****  
  
Three figures stood on the icy ridge, the chill wind whipping their hair and clothing about as it went whistling past. Two of them were men, large and muscular. They were both wearing the same apparel: black clothing with brown trappings and helmets, and darker leather boots and gloves. The third, a young woman, had no such uniform. Instead, she had on a red dress that reached to mid-thigh and was simply yet beautifully made, belted at the waist and accented with a pale purple sash. Her ankle-high boots were also red, with gold colored trim, much more delicate than the ones her companions wore. Her attire offered much less protection from the elements than that of the two men, but, oddly enough, she didn't seem to feel the cold at all. She had a fair complexion, with delicate features, and her greenish-blonde hair, which fell almost to her shoulders, was tied back from her face. Her eyes, a light emerald green, seemed to focus on nothing. Around her head was a narrow, metal band.  
  
One of the men, whose name was Biggs, was peering into the distance. Small lights could be seen, the only signs of life in the vast, dark night.  
  
"There's the town," he said, pointing.  
  
The other man, who was named Wedge, stepped forward until he stood beside him. "Hard to believe an Esper's been found intact there, 1,000 years after the War of the Magi," he murmured, also looking intently at the distant glow.  
  
"Think it's still alive?" Biggs asked, glancing at Wedge, who nodded.  
  
"Probably...Judging from the urgency of our orders."  
  
Biggs finally tore his eyes away from the lights and turned to look at the girl. She had neither spoken nor moved--it was as if she hadn't even heard the conversation. "And this woman, this...sorceress. Why's she here?" It was clear that her presence made him uncomfortable. "I heard she fried fifty of our MagiTek Armored soldiers in under three minutes."  
  
Wedge smiled darkly. "Not to worry," he replied. "The Slave Crown on her head robs her of all conscious thought. She'll follow orders." He looked at Biggs, who still looked a bit wary. "Speaking of MagiTek Armor, we'd better get back into ours."  
  
The girl was still standing there; she seemed oblivious to what was going on. "You! Get moving!" Wedge said sharply. She didn't acknowledge him, but followed the men silently to where three massive, dark machines stood waiting in the snow.  
  
They were at least five or six times as tall as the people who had ridden them here. They were made of some kind of black metal, and stood upright on two gigantic legs, each ending in a huge, single-clawed foot. They looked as though they could have been alive, except they did not move; they were like monsters from some hideous nightmare.  
  
Biggs, Wedge, and the girl each climbed up into one of them. At the touch of a control, the monsters roared to life, shaking the ground with each step as they were steered down from the ridge.  
  
"All set?" Wedge called to the other two as they fell in behind him. He saw Biggs nod. The girl again gave no sign that she had even heard him, but guided her machine into step with Biggs. "We'll approach from the east!" he ordered. "Move out!"  
  
Snow began falling, thick and heavy, as the three of them started across the frozen landscape. 


	2. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Squaresoft owns everything.  
  
  
  
-Terra-  
  
The first thing I was aware of was that I was lying in a bed. How I'd gotten there, I didn't know. I opened my eyes, which was a mistake, because the next thing I was aware of was that I had a splitting headache. In spite of this, I looked around. The room I was in was rather plain -- the bed was the only piece of furniture -- but it was warmly lit, and very welcoming. There were two heavy wooden doors in the room, opposite each other. Suddenly, one of them opened, and an elderly man entered. He looked as if he belonged there; his clothing was plain, but comfortable- looking, and his face was worn and wrinkled, but his eyes were kind. Though older, he had the build of a man who might have been a worker in his youth. As he came near the bed, I pushed aside the covers and sat up. This was an even bigger mistake, because it made the room spin. After a moment, my head cleared a little, and I looked over at the man.  
  
"Where am I?" I asked  
  
"Whoa!" he muttered. "And I only just removed the Crown!"  
  
I pushed aside the covers and stood up, and immediately felt woozy again. "Head...hurts..." I whispered, swaying slightly. The old man put his hand on my arm to steady me.  
  
"Easy!" He walked across the room and picked up what looked like a metal headband. "This is a Slave Crown," he told me. "The others had complete control of you while you were wearing it."  
  
I tried to think, to remember, but in vain. "I can't remember a thing," I said.  
  
"Don't worry," he said reassuringly. "It'll all come back to you...in time, that is," he added.  
  
My mind seemed to be shrouded in a thick fog. But I realized that I did remember one thing.  
  
"My name...is...Terra..." I said. The old man seemed surprised.  
  
"Impressive! I've never heard of anyone recovering so fast...!"  
  
He was about to say more, but never got the chance, because at that moment, a loud rap came from the other room. He rushed out of the bedroom, alarmed. I followed him, more slowly, to see what was going on. The front room was just as sparsely furnished as the bedroom, except there was a beautifully woven rug on the floor. A fire was blazing cheerfully on the hearth. The loud knocking sounded again, like someone was trying to break down the front door.  
  
"Open up!" a rough, male voice called. "Give us back the girl and the Empire's MagiTek Armor!"  
  
The old man went softly over to the door and stood listening, but didn't make a move to open it. The voice called again.  
  
"Open this door! We want the girl! She's an officer of the Empire!"  
  
Empire...? MagiTek Armor...? I thought. What were they talking about.  
  
The old man turned to me, a look of panic on his face. When he spoke, his voice was urgent. "Look, I have to get you out of here!" he said. "I don't have time to explain! Over here!" He rushed back into the bedroom, and I followed him, completely puzzled. He practically ran to the other door and opened it. This door led outside; a blast of cold air came in, and it was very dark. I looked at him, not understanding.  
  
"Make you way out through the mines," he said. "I'll keep these brutes occupied!"  
  
"But what's going on?!" I asked. Now I was starting to get upset. "What is it?"  
  
"There's no time," he replied. "If those men catch you, it'll be trouble. Go through the mines. Hurry!" He pushed me out and closed the door. I was still confused, but his last warning had made up my mind. I spotted a bridge leading away from the back of the old man's house, toward the mountain, so I started across. Below me were the lights of the town, and the smoke that came from the chimneys.  
  
I was about halfway to the mines when I heard the rough voice again.  
  
"She's up there!" Startled, I looked down, and saw a group of soldiers on the street below. They were wrapped in heavy garments to protect them from the cold, but there was no mistaking the weapons they carried. A few of them were pointing in my direction. They had spotted me! I sprinted across the bridge as fast as I could, heart pounding, and heard more shouting from the men. "Don't let her get away!!"  
  
I made it to the opening of the mine and went inside. It was dark, lit only by lamps here and there, and very quite. I could see the tracks that the mine carts followed when the miners brought coal and ore out of the tunnels. I decided to follow them, hoping they led to another exit. As I hurried through the tunnels, I could hear rustling and squeaking from the shadows. Once I thought I saw a pair of glowing red eyes, but when I looked more closely, there were gone. I shivered, but not from the cold. What kinds of creatures are in here? I wondered. I made my way more cautiously, praying that I wouldn't meet up with one of those unseen Things.  
  
As I rounded a corner, I heard even louder squeaking and chattering, and then a low growl. Something large and gray rushed out of the shadows toward me. I turned, almost too scared to move, and saw what resembled a large rodent, only much, much worse, with huge, yellow teeth--a Were-Rat! It was joined moments later by several of its friends, and they were all looking at me through wicked, hungry eyes. Just as one of them started moving toward me, I snapped out of my terrified trance and held up my hands. I concentrated, willing the energy in my body to flow outward into flames. The Fire spell engulfed the creature, which disintegrated immediately. The others looked on, surprised, then let out loud squeaks and took off into the shadows again. I took a shaky breath, relieved that I had scared them off. I continued through the mine, but the Were-Rats didn't return; they had obviously decided to look for easier prey.  
  
I had just entered another branch of the tunnel, when I heard even louder noises behind me. Thinking that some other monsters were going to try their luck, I turned, ready to use my Magic again. Then I heard the voices.  
  
"Got her!" A group of Narshe guards came rushing out of the tunnel that I had just left. My heart almost leaped into my throat. I whirled around and took off for the adjoining mineshaft, but was stopped by more soldiers. Of course they knew the tunnels better than I did; they must have taken different routes in order to head me off. I was trapped! I backed up against the wall, trying to decide whether I had a chance of fighting them. Then I heard a new sound; a low, ominous rumbling. The last thing I saw were the surprised looks on the soldiers' faces as the part of the mine floor that I was standing on gave way.  
  
  
  
-Locke-  
  
The Narshe guards didn't see me as I slipped past them in the shadows. They were busy keeping warm, and keeping a lookout for Imperial soldiers. Apparently, there had been some trouble already that evening, and as a result they were on high alert. I'm not from Narshe, and I don't come here very often; therefore I'm not what you would call a familiar face. I didn't want too many questions being asked by soldiers whose nerves were already at the breaking point. I'm a member of the Returners, a group secretly working against the Empire, and, since Narshe is doing its best to remain neutral through all of this, I figured my presence might not be completely welcome. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's sneaking around, so I did.  
  
It seems like it's been ages since this war started, but in reality, it's only been about a year. The Empire, ruled by a man named Gestahl, seems to be trying to take over the world by using a force called "Magic". This has people really scared, because of what supposedly happened 1,000 years ago. The "War of the Magi", as it's called, was a horrendous battle that all but wiped out the entire planet. According to the stories, Magic was used by powerful beings in their struggle to control the world. But this power was so destructive that things quickly got out of hand. After the smoke finally cleared, it seemed that this force had mysteriously disappeared...  
  
But now, the Empire has somehow managed to revive it, and they use it to construct powerful weapons of war, called MagiTek Armor. These are huge machines infused with Magic, and just one or two of them can wipe out an entire town in about 5 minutes. The Imperial Army is both feared and hated, and the Returners are working as hard as we can to put a stop to this war.  
  
As I snuck through the snow-covered streets of the small mining town, my thoughts turned to what had brought me here. Arvis, a fellow Returner, had sent me a message, telling me to get here ASAP. Said it was a matter of life and death. So I had had to interrupt my latest excursion (I'm a treasure hunter by trade), and head for Narshe. I figured it was something important, something having to do with the Empire's movements, so of course I hurried.  
  
Arvis lives at the north end of town, so I made my way toward his house and went around to the back door, so as not to attract any attention. I entered the house, and walked into the main room, where Arvis was waiting. He looked up.  
  
"Took you long enough. How goes the robbing and plundering trade?"  
  
"I prefer the term 'treasure hunting'," I shot back, insulted.  
  
Arvis snorted. "Ha! Semantic nonsense!"  
  
"There's a HUGE difference!" I told him. "Anyway, were you the one who sent for me?"  
  
"Yeah. There's a girl I'd like you to meet."  
  
"A girl?" I repeated distractedly, still miffed at his insult of my occupation. But his last words had called to mind something that I had heard the Narshe guards talking about. When the Imperial soldiers had come to Narshe, they had brought a girl with them. She was piloting MagiTek Armor, like the others, but had also used some kind of mysterious power. From the bits and pieces I had heard of their conversations, they had seen her raise her hands and seem to chant something, and whoever, or whatever, she was fighting would suddenly be in flames. I had heard the fear in their voices, and several times the word "sorceress". Could she be a magic user? I looked sharply at Arvis. "This better not have anything to do with that MagiTek-riding, Imperial...witch everyone's talking about?" I demanded.  
  
Arvis nodded. "Imperial troops are pursuing her even as we speak."  
  
"So why should we care?!" I shouted at him. "She's one of them!".  
  
Arvis walked over, picked up an object that was lying on the table, and tossed it to me.  
  
"Is this what I think it is?" I asked, examining the thin metal band. It looked a Slave Crown, a mind-control device used by the Empire. When placed on a person's head, it robs them of all conscious thought, so that they'll follow any order given. Arvis nodded again, looking grim.  
  
"This town is no match for the Empire!" he said. Our independence can only be assured if we join forces with the Returners. That girl wasn't responsible for her actions. We must get her to understand our dilemma!"  
  
I was still doubtful, but decided it was worth a shot. "Alright...I think we'd better help her."  
  
"I sent her out through the mines," Arvis told me, "but I'm afraid they'll catch up to her before she has a chance to get out of Narshe. You've got to find her before the soldiers do. Then go to Figaro, and talk to the king."  
  
I nodded. "Right. Wish me luck."  
  
With that, I hurried out of the house and headed for the Narshe mines. 


	3. A Rescue and a Desert Castle

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own anything. It is owned by Squaresoft.  
-Locke-  
  
I hurried silently through the mine, keeping a sharp lookout for any sign of the girl. I figured she must have followed the mine cart tracks. Having been in the mine once before, I knew they eventually led to another exit. I also kept a lookout for trouble; monsters lived in these mines, and it was probably crawling with guards as well. I didn't want to run any of them.  
  
I came out of the tunnel into a different, more narrow passage, and stopped dead. Right in front of me were five or six heavily armed guards. They were looking at something in a corner of the passage, and hadn't noticed me- -yet. I sprang backwards into the other tunnel and hid at the opening, so that I could see what was going on without being seen.  
  
"She fell into one of the lower caverns," one of the soldiers growled, a note of triumph in his harsh voice. "We've got her now! Let's go!"  
  
They hurried down an adjoining passage. As soon as they were out of sight, I stepped out of my hiding place. From where I stood I could plainly see a large, jagged hole in the floor of the passage. It looked as though the rocks and earth had recently given way. I moved towards it carefully, not wanting to cause a second cave-in, and peered down through the gloom. I could just make out what looked like a person lying on the floor of the cavern below, surrounded by fallen rocks and debris. The girl, I thought. There was no movement; no sign of life at all.  
  
"Oh, man," I muttered. I had to get to her before the guards did. There was only one way to do that. I eased myself down into the hole, praying that the edge would support my weight, until I was hanging on by my hands. I took a deep breath and let go.  
  
It's a good thing I'm so light and agile. I was able to land on my feet, with only a small amount of discomfort. I knelt down by the girl. She was breathing; the fall must have only knocked her out. I knew I had to get her out of there, but I was afraid to move her. If she was injured, I could end up making things worse. But before I could decide what to do, the group of soldiers I had seen in the upper tunnel came running in through the other end of the cavern.  
  
"Now we gotcha!" one of them yelled. He was dressed differently from the others; from the way he issued orders, I knew he was the marshal.  
  
"Wonderful...There's a whole bunch of them," I said. How could I possibly fight all of them? Just when I thought we'd had it, I heard a sound from behind me.  
  
"Kupo!"  
  
I turned. There was a large opening in the rock wall which I hadn't noticed when I jumped down. From this opening there suddenly came about a dozen small, white, fuzzy creatures, about half the size of an average human. They looked a little like teddy bears, except for their small, pink wings, and what resembled a short antenna ending in a small, red ball on the tops of their heads.  
  
"Moogles!" I exclaimed. I didn't know much about these creatures, except that they live in the Narshe mines and usually keep to themselves, rarely venturing outside. In spite of this, though, they are very friendly. Two of them came forward and, stooping down, looked closely at the girl. They spoke to each other quietly in their small, high-pitched voices. I don't speak Moogle, so I didn't have a clue what they were saying. One of them pointed towards the guards at the other end of the cavern (who seemed rather surprised at the sudden appearance of the little guys). They seemed to know exactly what was going on. They came and stood around the girl and I, and seemed almost to be glaring at the marshal and his troops. The Moogle who had come out of the opening first looked up at me. It (he?) pointed first at the girl, then at me, then at the guards. "Kupo!" he said.  
  
"Are you saying you want to help me?" I asked incredulously.  
  
The Moogles all nodded vigorously, then began hopping up and down. "Kupo! Kupo!" they exclaimed. The first Moogle (was he the leader?) turned to the others and began pointing and speaking loudly in the Moogle language. Each one moved where he directed. He seemed to be forming them into groups. Two groups of four Moogles went to stand in front; the leader and the two remaining Moogles stood near me. I noticed, suddenly, that they were all carrying weapons. I blinked. Where did those come from? But now was not the time to wonder about it.  
  
"I take it you guys are with me?" I asked the three that had stayed beside me. They nodded. "All right then," I said, pulling out my dagger. "Let's go!"  
  
The marshal, who had been watching all of this in amazement, laughed suddenly. "You think you and your fuzzy friends stand a chance?" he jeered. "We'll show you!" He turned and barked an order to the guards. "Get them!"  
  
The guards rushed forward, but the Moogles and I were ready. We charged into the fray, my group in the lead. I had no idea Moogles could fight! Within a few moments, three of the guards had already been defeated. Looking back, I saw that one group of Moogles had remained behind, and the four of them were standing protectively in front of the girl. This left the rest of us free to attack the guards, without worrying about them getting to her. It didn't take long to defeat the remaining soldiers, and finally only the marshal was left.  
  
"You...you...!" he stammered, unable to believe what had just happened. Suddenly he was furious. "You'll pay for this!" he roared, drawing his weapon. He charged towards me, but I dodged and struck out with my dagger, and he went down.  
  
The Moogles started jumping up and down and cheering. "Kupo! Kupo!" they cried. I sheathed my dagger and walked back over to them.  
  
"Thanks, Moogles! We're in your debt!" I said gratefully.  
  
The crowd of Moogles nodded and waved, then, with a few farewell "Kupos!" turned back towards the rock wall. And then they were gone.  
  
I knelt down and lifted the girl into my arms as gently as I could, then headed through the same "doorway"; but by the time I was through, there was no trace of them. Boy, those little guys move fast, I thought. I was in yet another narrow, twisting passage. I followed it until I reached what appeared to be a dead end. Upon closer inspection, I could see a faint crack in the wall that crudely formed the shape of an arch--a door, hidden in the rock. Then I noticed the switch protruding from the opposite wall. Carefully laying the girl down again, I walked over to it.  
  
"I think this switch'll..." I said to myself, reaching up and pulling on it. The metal resisted only slightly, and with a loud, scraping groan, the section of rock swung inward. Through it I could see only darkness, but I felt fresh, cold air coming in, so I knew it led outside.  
  
"Eureka!" I exclaimed, jubilant. Just then, I heard a faint moan. I glanced over at the girl, who was beginning to stir. I hurried back over and knelt beside her. She opened her eyes, which were a nice shade of light green. She was rather pretty, and for a moment I felt a slight pang as I remembered...someone else...  
  
I smiled at her as she looked up at me wonderingly.  
-Terra-  
  
I slowly opened my eyes, once again feeling a throbbing pain in my head. But this time, instead of a house, I was lying in a cavern, a young man kneeling beside me. He was wearing what looked like traveling clothes: black paints, a white, short-sleeved shirt, black leather vest, and brown leather gloves and boots. He had pale blond hair and light blue eyes, and was actually kind of good-looking. A rolled-up bandanna, dark blue in color, went around his head and tied at the back. He had a carefree, almost roguish look to him, but as I looked up at him, he smiled pleasantly.  
  
"Eh? You're back with us now?" he grinned.  
  
"What happened?" I asked groggily.  
  
"The Narshe guards almost got you," he said, his smile fading somewhat.  
  
"You...saved me?"  
  
He shook his head. "Save your thanks for the Moogles," he replied.  
  
I sat up, wincing. "Uhh...I can't remember anything...past or present," I groaned.  
  
The young man stared at me, his eyes wide. "You have amnesia?!"  
  
I nodded. "A man said my memory would come back..."  
  
He stood up, and helped me to my feet. "Give it time. You're safe with me! I give you my word!" he said reassuringly. "My name's Locke," he added, holding out his hand.  
  
"I'm Terra," I replied, hesitating; then I put my hand in his, and he shook it warmly.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Terra," Locke said. "Come on, let's get you out of here." He turned toward a large hole in the wall of the passage, which led outside. "By the way, this secret entrance might come in handy some day. Don't forget about it!" He grinned at me again, before leading the way out of the mine.  
  
Once outside, we headed for the entrance to the town. But before we could get ten paces inside the gate, a guard spotted us.  
  
"Eh? Who might YOU be?" he called out gruffly, striding toward us. Locke cursed under his breath, and, grabbing my hand, took off for the gate. He pulled me around the corner, and we leaned against the wall, panting.  
  
"That was close," gasped Locke. He peered around the edge of the wall, but pulled back quickly.  
  
"This is the pits," he said. "We'd better hightail it southward, to Figaro."  
  
"Figaro?" I repeated. I had never heard of it.  
  
Locke glanced around the corner again, then looked back at me, signaling that the coast was clear. We stepped out from behind the wall. I looked back at the town; the windows of the houses glowed warmly, and smoke still curled out of the chimneys. The guard was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Yeah, we'll be safe there. It'll be warmer too," he answered, chuckling. "Let's go."  
  
I peered around cautiously once more before following him away from the gate, and we set out into the snowy darkness.  
  
-----  
  
Once we had left Narshe behind us, I began to feel better. I couldn't help but trust Locke, even though I had just met him. He was a good traveling companion. He knew how to survive out in the wilderness; and once or twice, when we ran into some unfriendly monsters, he was actually able to steal useful items from them, so that we didn't have to worry about exhausting our supplies. I was amazed the first few times I watched him do this. He moved so fast, the monsters didn't even know what had happened.  
  
Locke told me he was a treasure hunter, and that he traveled around all the time looking for relics of the past. He had learned that skill, he said, while journeying, and it had had gotten him out of more than one scrape. While we walked along, he told me stories of the places he had been, and some of the treasures he had found. But while he was recalling one particular excursion, he suddenly became very quiet, and it was as though a sudden sadness came over him. I wanted to ask what the matter was, because something seemed to bother him, but from the look in his eyes, I decided it wasn't a good idea. Instead, I changed the subject, and asked him about Figaro.  
  
"It's the kingdom to the south of here," he said. "The town is called South Figaro, and it's a pretty busy port town; trade ships come in and out of there all the time. 'Course, trade has slowed to a crawl because of the war. The Empire keeps smashing the ships, so the captains are afraid to sail"  
  
"Why is the Empire doing all of this? Why do they want to take over?" I asked, bewildered.  
  
Locke shook his head. "Who knows?" he replied. "But they're doing a heck of a job. They keep gaining more and more power. They're using something called 'Magic', which supposedly disappeared long ago." He looked over at me. "People are scared half to death. With their Magic-infused weapons, they can take out an entire town in no time. There are rumors that some of their soldiers are even artificially infused with Magic."  
  
The last words he spoke made me think. What if I'm one of those soldiers? I wondered. What if I'm just another Magic-infused weapon to them? Is that why those guards were after me? Because they thought I would do something bad? Did I do something bad? "Those men in Narshe said I was a member of the Empire," I said softly.  
  
"You didn't mean to do those things," Locke said quickly. "They were controlling you."  
  
"But...But what if I hurt someone? I can't remember anything. What if someone died?"  
  
"It wasn't you!" Locke stopped walking and looked at me seriously. "Look, you really don't seem like the kind of person the Empire looks for in a soldier. You wouldn't have done those things on your own. They used you, and now you're taking the blame for what they did." He put his hand on my arm, and his voice grew gentle as he spoke. "Whatever happened...it wasn't your fault. I will never believe that it was."  
  
I looked into his eyes and could see that he was sincere. I gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Locke," I said. He grinned back at me.  
  
"Don't worry, everything will work out somehow," he told me.  
  
-----  
  
Our route took us across a wide plain that lay between two mountain ranges. It was actually very beautiful, with the green grass and flowers, and the gray hills in the distance. As we moved south, the weather grew steadily warmer. On the second day of our journey, I asked Locke how much farther it was to Figaro.  
  
"See that desert?" he asked me, pointing into the distance. I could just see a flat, golden expanse of sand stretching to the horizon. "We have to cross that to reach Figaro."  
  
"Cross the desert?" I repeated, amazed.  
  
"It's really not that bad," he replied. "The desert's not very big. You've just gotta watch out for the Sand Rays."  
  
"Sand Rays? What are those?"  
  
"They're like a land-dwelling sting ray," Locke told me. "Nasty, but not very tough unless you run into a crowd of 'em."  
  
We camped that night on the edge of a forest. At one point, Locke left to find a spring or a stream, to get water for the next day's trip across the desert. "It's not a long walk, but it's hot," he told me.  
  
We set out at daybreak. While the sun was still low in the sky, the desert was almost pleasant, but as it climbed steadily higher, the heat became more and more intense as the sand baked underfoot. Still, it was not unbearable, and, except for the occasional Sand Ray attack, it wasn't terribly difficult.  
  
At one point, I looked up and saw a large, dark shape shimmering in the heat. At first, it looked like a rock formation, but as we got closer, I could start to make out what looked like a large, imposing stone structure.  
  
"What's that?" I asked Locke.  
  
"That's Figaro Castle," he told me.  
  
"A castle in the middle of the desert?" I gasped.  
  
"Yup. Safest place you could put it. There aren't many who would come all the way out here to attack it--not that they could cause much damage if they did."  
  
"What do you mean?" I wanted to know. Locke grinned mysteriously.  
  
"Figaro's not your average castle," was all he said.  
  
The castle was an impressive sight, towering over the desert sands. It was built of a grayish-brown stone, with a large central building and two smaller ones, which were connected to the main part by battlements. As we approached the entrance, we saw a soldier on duty just outside the door.  
  
"Wait!" he said, stepping forward. Then he caught sight of Locke, and seemed to recognize him. "Hey! Oh, it's you. Proceed."  
  
"Thanks," Locke replied with a nod. We walked past the guard and entered the castle. It was as impressive inside as it was on the outside; the floors were made of a beautiful brown stone, cut and placed to form an interesting pattern. There was a red carpet on the floor of the entry, and two large square banners were hanging on the wall, one on each side of the opposite door. The banners were made of some heavy blue cloth, with a pattern in the middle stitched in gold. A strip of red went outward from this center pattern to each corner, and a curtain of red with gold tassels hung above each banner. We passed through the entry and found ourselves outside again, on the main walkway of the castle. There was a pair of ornately carved wooden doors which we stepped through, and found ourselves in a long hall. There was another, longer red carpet, and several old but well-polished suits of armor placed along each side. An elderly man in flowing robes was pacing back and forth between them. He looked like a person of importance.  
  
"Hello, Chancellor," Locke said.  
  
"Ah, Locke, it's been a while. How have you been, my boy?"  
  
"Just fine, thanks. And you?" Locke replied.  
  
"Well, I can't complain. And who's this with you?" he asked, nodding at me.  
  
"This is Terra," Locke told him. "Terra, this is the Chancellor of Figaro."  
  
"Hello," I said politely.  
  
"Hello, my dear," the Chancellor said, smiling. "Hope your trip across the desert was an easy one."  
  
"It was," I said.  
  
"Good, good. Well, make yourself at home. Any friend of Locke's is welcome here."  
  
"This castle is incredible!" I said, looking around.  
  
The Chancellor positively beamed. "It doesn't look like it, but this castle incorporates some of the most high-tech devices in existence. For example..." he began, but stopped abruptly, looking startled. "Oops...they're all top-secret!"  
  
Locke laughed. "Oh, come on, Chancellor, I'll bet Terra's just dying to hear what they are!"  
  
The old man shook his head. "Absolutely not. The King would have my head if I told anyone!"  
  
"Speaking of which, we need to see him. Is he available?" Locke asked.  
  
"He's in the throne room right now," the Chancellor replied, nodding toward a square archway at the far end of the hall, through which we could see a large, brightly lit room.  
  
"Let's go then. Come on, Terra," Locke said to me. "See you later, Chancellor."  
  
"Goodbye," I called, as we headed for the doorway. The old man waved cheerfully before resuming his pacing.  
  
The throne room was beautiful, too. Magnificent stone columns supported the ceiling, and two thrones with matching blue-velvet cushions sat on a raised section of floor at the other end of the room. A pair of elaborate swords were mounted, crossed, on the wall behind them. On either side of the swords were two more banners, identical to the ones in the entry.  
  
A young man, who had been sitting on one of the thrones, stood up and came toward us. He was dressed in dark blue, with a long, matching cape that was plain except for a simple pattern in red thread near the bottom. He was of a medium build, like Locke, only slightly taller. His hair was a darker blond, and his eyes were a deep, penetrating blue. He had an air of confidence about him, yet he seemed easy-going; and when he spoke, he had a strong, yet pleasant voice.  
  
"Locke, it's good to see you again," he said, smiling warmly.  
  
"Good to see you too," Locke answered, shaking hands. "I've brought someone I'd like you to meet."  
  
The young man turned to me, eyes widening. "You mean, THIS young woman...?!" Before I could reach, he had taken my hand and kissed the back of it. "A pleasure," he said, smiling again. He released my hand and looked over at Locke. "I need to have a word with you," he said quietly. Locke nodded, and the two of them started to move away.  
  
I was completely taken aback. "Who do you think you are?" I asked the man.  
  
"Oh, sorry," he said. "How rude of me to turn my back to a lady!" He walked back over to me, and made a low bow.  
  
"I am Edgar, King of Figaro." 


End file.
